


The Day is Gone

by keeptheworldbeneathmyfeet



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Original Characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 04:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3636942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keeptheworldbeneathmyfeet/pseuds/keeptheworldbeneathmyfeet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The children of the Heroes of Thedas have grown up in peaceful times. Lyanna Rutherford and Rowan Theirin have grown up together in Skyhold and were inseparable. They always knew they were best friends till deeper feelings being to linger within. After two decades of peace, war erupts in Thedas and throws Lyanna and Rowan apart. Can they find a way back to one another or will they be torn apart forever?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Day is Gone

A scream filled the main hall, sending everyone into a worried state. Gossip buzzed amongst the growing population of people lounging about in the grand hall of Inquisitor Lavellan. Remarks were made about how they could hear her screams all the way from her room. Questions were raised. Where was the father? Would she survive? If she died, what would become of Thedas and the Inquisition itself? With each passing moment, the panic arose in the common people. But none were more worried than her faithful husband and advisor, Cullen Rutherford.  
He paced the chamber before the room he shared with his wife. His pacing increased with every moan and groan he heard from her chamber. He thought of how he should be in there and how he should be holding her hand and kissing her forehead. He should be there to support her, just as he always has, instead of pacing outside like the worried husband he was. He wanted to watch his first child emerge into this world and kiss his wife and thank her for being the greatest blessing the Maker had given him but it was forbidden for him to be there. The Dalish midwife that Lelianna had found adhered to the customs of the Dalish. The men were not permitted to be in the birthing chamber. So when Elianna told him it was time, six hours ago, he had to leave his wife and child’s lives in the cranky old elf. Josephine, Lelianna and Cassandra rushed to Elianna’s side once they heard the baby was coming, leaving Cullen without a scrap of news.  
“If you keep pacing like that, you’re going to dig yourself a hole in the cement.” Alistair Theirin noted to Cullen, “Cullen you have to relax. Women have been doing this for centuries. Besides I bet Elianna isn’t even in any pain, she’s probably reading the most recent reports on the underground Red Lyrium market as we speak.” He tried to cheer the man up, but another painful scream filled the air, “Or not.” He tried to laugh it off but Cullen’s face turned pale. Alistair looked to his new friend and sighed. He knew none of his wise cracks would calm Cullen down. The babe could be born and then Cullen would worry if it was healthy or if it needed a blanket. He was a worrier, that who he was. But Alistair couldn’t help but think of how far Cullen had changed since they first met in the Circle all those years ago. He did not see the Templar terrified of mages and begging for a swift death. He was the Commander of the Inquisition’s forces and married to a mage no less. Cullen was not the same man he was, but neither was Alistair.  
“Alistair, stop it.” His wife Lyda Mahariel spoke softly, “It’s his first child. Just remember you were acting exactly like him six months ago. Except you were worse, you kept pacing beside my bed.” She pointed out. She looked down at their son, his sleeping head lying on her shoulder. She gently swayed back and forth to keep the boy sleeping. He was sucking his thumb and sleeping peacefully. Lyda knew she should put the babe down to sleep but she couldn’t bear to part with her son, her long-awaited child.  
Cullen perked his head up, “Alistair was in the room with you? What about the Dalish custom?”  
Lyda made a face, “I’m a Grey Warden. I abandoned many of my people’s frivolous customs a long time ago. Elianna still has very close ties with her Clan. Mine shipped me off once I was cursed by the eluvian. Besides, I didn’t have people waiting on me. It was Alistair and I in an inn with a local doctor. It wasn’t exactly glamorous. It was even worse when Alistair fainted.” She winked at her husband.  
“You fainted?” Cullen stopped in his tracks and spat out a laugh. He could not imagine the bulky Grey Warden in front of him fainting.  
“Yes, the father of my child and slayer of Darkspawn. Survivor of the Fifth blight and the Fade at the siege of Adamant, fainted at the sight of his son’s head coming into the world.” Lyda smiled. Alistair’s cheeks turned bright red, as he looked at his wife frantically.  
“Lyda, why would you tell him that?” He grumbled, “I’m supposed to be the cool Grey Warden now I look like an imbecile.”  
“But you’re my imbecile, so it doesn’t matter.” She kissed his cheek, still cradling their son in her arms. Alistair looked at his beautiful wife and felt his heart soar, just as it did the first time they had kissed years ago. He never tired of the fluttering feeling his stomach when he looked at her. Her glossy chestnut hair cascaded down her back in beautiful waves. He longed to run his hands through her hair as he did almost every night. He loved everything about Lyda, but her hair was his favourite part. Her hazel eyes were alive and full of warmth when she looked at him. They had been together for so long yet it still felt so new. He could spend hours in bed with her, just tracing her vallaslin and her jaw down to her neck and beyond. Her tattoos had faded over time but they still were her prominent feature. They criss-crossed over her forehead and down the sides of her face, the remaining relic of her former life without him.  
“Alright yes, I fainted.” Alistair admitted to Cullen, “But when you see a round head coming out of a little area covered in blood…. well I just didn’t expect it. I thought he would have been all clean and wearing a diaper as if a griffon would have brought him to us. I was not expecting what I saw, you might be glad you’re not in there.” He looked at his son, sleeping in his mother’s arms, “Truthfully, it’s much better afterwards.”  
“I just don’t like hearing her in pain. Maker, I just wish I was in there.” Cullen ran his gloved hand through his blonde hair.  
“It’s probably best you stayed out here, the last thing Elianna needs is you fainting. She would probably rush out of the bed to make sure you were alright.” Lyda smiled at Cullen. He smiled back at her and nodded. He knew she was right. There was another scream from the chamber. Cullen snapped his head to the door, eyes frantic. Lyda sighed, knowing it was time. She walked away from her husband and gently touched Cullen’s shoulder, “Cullen, hold the baby.”  
Cullen turned to her in surprise, “What?”  
“You are going mad. Hold the baby, he’ll calm you down. Besides you need the practice. I’ll go see what’s happening.” She gently moved her son into Cullen’s arms without waking him. He stirred and made a small sound before sticking his thumb back into his mouth, “Everything will be alright. I will go see what’s wrong and I swear I will not let Falon’Din take a bride tonight.” She touched her son’s cheek one last time before disappearing into the birthing chamber. Falon’Din, the Elven God of Death. Cullen knew of him, he had heard Elianna’s tales of the God and her lack of fear towards him. She had always told him she was accustomed to him. She even spoke of seeing him once, when her parents were killed when she was girl. She had told herself that day that she would not fear the Friend to the Dead and would always welcome him before going into battle. She would give her enemies a swift death as a gift to the God.  
He down at the sleeping boy in his arms and felt his shoulders relax. The Hero of Ferelden was right; this small infant was keeping him calm. Alistair removed himself from the wall and stood beside Cullen, staring at his son.  
“What did you name him again?” Cullen asked the father.  
“Rowan.” Alistair gently moved some of his son’s hair away from his face, “Once Lyda saw this brown hair on his head and the hazel eyes, he reminded her of a great tree that took residence in the forest near her camp. I thought it was a beautiful name. Besides, what else were we going to name him? Maric?” Alistair grimaced at the name of his father, the legendary King Maric of Ferelden. Cullen always tended to forget that the man standing in front of him could have been the King of Ferelden. Though he was illegitimate, at the death of Alistair’s half-brother Cailin at Ostagar, many supported Alistair’s claim to the throne over that of Cailin’s widow Anora. But Alistair had sworn himself to the Grey Wardens and did not want the throne. With Lyda’s support at his side, he let Anora take the throne as Queen, “But funny story, after we had chosen Rowan and bonded with the name, Leliana enlightened me that Rowan was the name of Cailan’s mother, Maric’s wife.” Alistair sighed, “We considered changing it but Lyda couldn’t bear it. She loved her Rowan too much. Besides, Queen Rowan was a wonderful woman, so it’s like a tribute to her I guess.”  
“Do you regret it?” Cullen asked, “Do you regret not becoming King?”  
“No.” he immediately said, “Being King meant I couldn’t be a warden or have this family. I wouldn’t have been able to marry Lyda if I was on that throne. Arl Eamon tried to persuade me that I could still be with her if I was King but she would only be my mistress and our children would be bastards, like myself. I would never want that for Rowan. Growing up, as a bastard was horrible, I never knew my father or my mother. I just hope I can be a good father to Rowan.”  
“You will Alistair.” Cullen told his friend.  
“As will you my friend.” The Grey Warden clapped his hand on the commander’s back. Together they looked at the sleeping boy, the future generation of Thedas.  
“Where will you go after you leave Skyhold?” Cullen asked the warden. The two Grey Wardens had only been visitors to Skyhold for the past few weeks and their stay was only temporary. Elianna had invited them to speak on the future of the order. After the events of Adament, many nations would not permit sanctuary to the Grey Wardens; they had been shunned and some even executed. What the Wardens did was horrendous but to destroy the order would be suicide. They were needed during times of the Blight and even Cullen knew that the Sixth Blight would come eventually just as the previous five had. To destroy the order would mean the end of the world they had tried so hard to save. Elianna had given them a second chance and Skyhold seemed to be one of the few places left in Thedas where the Wardens were welcome and protected. Elianna and Lyda would spend most of their days in long talks over what to do while Cullen and Alistair watched from darkened corners.  
“I’m not sure. Arl Teghan said we can stay in Redcliffe as long as we want and he will protect us.” Alistair began to shake his head, “We can’t be the nomads we were before. We need to settle somewhere, even if it’s just for a few years. I would accept Teghan’s offer but…” his speech trailed off.  
“You’re worried that Anora will not like the heir to the Theirin bloodline living in Ferelden.” Cullen finished.  
“Exactly. She’s not too keen on having us spend long periods of time in Ferelden and I completely understand. There are many who are still loyal to the former king and the dynasty, we could start a civil war.” Alistair sighed, “It’s different now. Before I only had to worry about myself. Now I worry about him,” Alistair touched his son’s cheek, “and I just hope I can give him the life he deserves.”  
“With loving parents like you two, his life will be perfect.” Cullen moved Rowan into his father’s arms. Alistair cradled him and hugged him close to his chest.  
Lyda opened the door to the birthing chamber, her face rosy and calm, “Cullen, it’s all over. Would you like to meet your baby?” She moved out of the way for the military commander to rush into the room. Elianna was laying in their bed, a blanket pulled up to waist. Her white blonde hair was thrown up into a bun hastily and tendrils of her hair fell around her face and neck. In her arms laid a small bundle wrapped in a white blanket. He heard the noises of a baby. Josephine was sitting on the end of the bed, watching the new mother while Leliana was outside sending the good news to the allies of the Inquisition. Cullen saw the midwife in the corner of the room, washing blood off her hands as Cassandra did the same.  
“Elianna!” Cullen rushed to his wife’s side. He kissed her passionately, taking in her scent and feeling her skin on his, “I was so worried. There was so much screaming, I thought I was going to lose you.” He confessed.  
“Not a chance.” She kissed him again, “Would you like to meet your newest recruit Commander Cullen?”  
“It would be an honour, Inquisitor Lavellan.” He sat down on the bed next to her, looking down at the baby in her arms.  
“Meet your daughter, Cullen.” Elianna leaned her head on his shoulder, letting her husband take in the appearance of their little girl. Her eyes were closed but her arms moved gently in the air. Elianna could tell she was a fighter. The delivery had lasted ages and Elianna worried that the baby would not make it. But her daughter fought and when she came into the world, she showed off her lung capacity by wailing until Cassandra wrapped her into a blanket.  
“She’s the most beautiful girl I have laid my eyes on. She’s beautiful, just like her mother.” He spoke softly. Elianna gently placed their daughter into Cullen’s arms. She wrapped her arm around her husband’s and watched her husband gaze adoringly at his new favourite girl.  
“What shall we call her?” Elianna asked.  
“I’ve been thinking, how about Lyanna. It is supposed to mean ‘the answer to a prayer’ or some rubbish like that. But she is the answer to our prayers. Finally we have a ray of light in this world of darkness.” Cullen looked to Elianna.  
“I love it.” She sighed gently, “She is the future. She and Rowan are born into a world where for once, we have nothing to fear. The world is at their fingertips, isn’t that right Lyanna Rutherford?” Elianna kissed her daughter’s forehead and relaxed into her husband’s arms. They were a family and nothing was going to tear them apart.


End file.
